Missouri House votes to tighten state worker pensions

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri House has approved changes to state pensions that would raise the retirement age for new workers and force them to start contributing part of their pay.

The House passed the legislation 92-54 Tuesday. It would affect workers hired after Feb. 1, and incoming lawmakers. The bill would require workers to contribute 4 percent of their pay toward their pensions.

House members voted Tuesday to allow state workers to continue qualifying for pensions after five years. The legislation's sponsors had wanted to require people to spend a decade working for the state before vesting in their pensions.

The legislation now moves to the Senate, where a committee has approved its own version of the pension overhaul.

Comments

What is next. They take away our raises, take away are comp match, taking away our days off, and change our insurance, which is much higher, and now this. I am making less now than the first day I started. Can anyone else out there live on $1000.00 a month take home pay? Our co-workers are dropping like flies. No incentive to be a state worker any longer. We have to get second jobs just to live out of poverty, and now, have to put in 4 percent toward pension. That would break me for sure. City workers were granted 1% raise, where is our raise? how long has it been now?